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Loop, "Array 1"
When Robert Hampson reactivated Loop and toured after a lengthy dormancy, I was rather surprised (as were many other fans). When the recording of new material was announced, I was shocked. As an artist who had gone so long intentionally avoiding his return to the guitar, it is not a move I expected. Not necessarily surprising, but definitely reassuring, Array 1 sounds exactly like Loop should sound in 2015, and the natural expansion of the sound Hampson and company perfected during their first phase.
Their first recorded Loop material since 1990's A Gilded Eternity, Array 1 continues that disciplined, almost ascetic devotion to minimalism perfected on that album.That sound, filtered through Main’s almost clinical avant-garde sensibility, is what emerges.Even further gone is the garish '70s psychedelic haze from the earliest material, instead replaced with a sonic purity befitting Robert Hampson's solo work and time spent with more academic sonic pursuits. Robert is joined by drummer Wayne Maskell,guitarist Dan Boyd, and bassist Hugo Morgan, all who are from The Heads.
"Precession," released as a teaser earlier this year, was an accurate indicator of how the rest of the record would be.Repetitive, but captivating structures, a bit of soloing, and Hampson's voice low in the mix as always, is consistent with what I hoped it would be. "Aphelion" comes from a similar template but with a slower pace and overall bleaker sound.The tom-heavy drumming calls to mind some of the Gilded Eternity era material, but sounds entirely fresh, with a brief but memorable chorus. The seven minute "Coma", credited to Hampson solo, is perhaps more in league with the middle period of Main’s activity, albeit with somewhat less abstraction.Long, sustained passages of guitar sound, tinged with digital processing, expand beautifully.Unlike the later Main material, this sounds strictly guitar-centric, but with enough processing and production to sound utterly unique.
The entirety of the second side of Array 1 is occupied with the 17 minute "Radial," and perhaps the zenith of the EP.The first five or so minutes resemble the abstract "sounds kind of like guitar but processed like crazy" approach of "Coma," though a bit stripped back and more emphasis on the low end.The sound slowly builds, layer upon layer of guitar with the occasionally abrasive bit of rattling metallic percussion cutting through, obviously building to something.At around five and a half minutes in, Maskell's drums fade in slowly, an introduction and a motorik sound that, if not an overt nod to Neu's "Hallogallo" likely a subliminal one, and brought in are a delightfully brittle digital guitar riff and understated backing bass.With Hampson's vocals, the group lock into a brilliant groove that ranks amongst the best the band has ever done in their history before fading the piece back to the abstract sonic expanse it rose up from.
Array 1 does not sound like some sort of "lost" Loop album, and I am very grateful for that.It seemed for the longest time Robert Hampson was doing everything he could to escape the guitar and associated rock music, but us fans are fortunate that he gave in to old habits.
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